Any victory you gain through argument is short-lived, and will cause resentment in the long run. Instead, let your actions lead them to the truth.
Application -
As you may have seen through the political divide in the US, nothing is resolved by the endless arguments. And this is why my friend's family had rules of what not to talk about at the Thanksgiving dinner table. There were specific topics to avoid along with real punishments, printed and framed! No matter what facts you throw at someone, you can't change their mind. But the claws do come out after a little too much mulled wine.
On the other hand, "living well is the best revenge," (George Herbert). People will follow you by example, or seek your advice when they are are ready. Or they won't, but that's ok.
The need to be right is wrong -
I am the worst at this. When I first moved to LA, I was still figuring out who I was. In a new environment, new behaviors came out that did not work for me.
For a while, I could not help but notice all the little mistakes people would make and be compelled to call them out. This came from an inner need for perfection, so to me, I was just correcting untrue things. It would be some trivial fact, like where a country was located, or the name of something. And it was pointless to bring up, but I couldn't help myself.
To try to make things better, I would say it with a big smile. Or sometimes I'd give a little laugh to mean that it was no big deal. I was the most annoying person in the world. As can be seen by the glares that people would give me. If you are ever tempted to correct someone, suppress that urge, trust me.
There were other times when I would argue with my boss on something she wanted to be done. When I showed her my work, she would always forget what she asked for and ask me to do it differently. It drove me crazy and I would argue that I did exactly what she asked for. This was always pointless because I had to re-do the work anyway. And all it did was put a strain on our relationship. After I stopped arguing about it, she told me I was doing so much better at my job. But that was the only thing I changed.
Whether it's arguing outright or quietly correcting people, nobody wants to hear what they've gotten wrong.
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The 48 Laws of Power in Practice
Non-FictionDiscover how power works in the world, through true stories and real-world applications. In the game of power, we all play - as either conscious or unconscious players. So we can't afford not to know the rules. The ** chapters have the most outrag...
